Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Name: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound (450 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 3 cups); ⅓ cup (115 g) honey, mild, runny; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice, freshly squeezed and strained; ⅛ teaspoon (¾ g) fine salt; 2 cups (480 g) full-fat plain Greek yogurt, cold, straight from the fridge; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vodka, optional; keeps the texture softer (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Creamy, tangy frozen yogurt made with ripe strawberries, thick Greek yogurt and honey. Macerating the berries first gives deep fruit flavor, and a small splash of vodka keeps the texture scoopable.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: —
Wait: 4 hr 50 min
Total: 5 hr 20 min
Makes: About 1 quart (950 ml), 6 servings of ½ cup plus a little extra

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Steps

Before you start

Freeze the canister of your ice cream maker for at least 24 hours (or follow your manufacturer's directions). It should be completely solid, with no sloshing liquid when shaken.
Use full-fat (5% or 10%) plain Greek yogurt. Low-fat or nonfat versions freeze icy and hard.
Plan about 5 hours from start to scoop: 30 minutes macerating, 2 hours chilling, 20 minutes churning and 2 hours firming.
Choose fragrant, fully red strawberries. Pale berries make a bland frozen yogurt.

1
Macerate the strawberries
- Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters.
- In a medium bowl, toss them with the honey, lemon juice and salt.
- Stir well so every piece is coated, then let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: The berries are sitting in a pool of glossy red syrup, about ¼ cup (60 ml).
Tip: Do not skip the lemon juice. It brightens the fruit and balances the honey.
2
Blend the berries
- Scrape the berries and all their syrup into a blender.
- Blend on medium speed for 20–30 seconds, until mostly smooth with a few tiny flecks of fruit.
- You should have about 2 cups (480 ml) of puree.
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Ready when: The puree is pink-red and pourable, with no large chunks.
Tip: Over-blending warms the puree slightly and adds air. Stop as soon as it is mostly smooth.
3
Whisk in the yogurt
- In a large bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt and vanilla until smooth and loose, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the strawberry puree and the vodka, if using.
- Whisk until the mixture is a uniform pink with no white streaks.
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Ready when: The base is evenly colored and thick like heavy cream, with no streaks.
Tip: Taste the base now. It should taste slightly sweeter than you want, since freezing dulls sweetness.
4
Chill the base
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours, until very cold.
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Ready when: The base is 40°F (4°C) or colder and feels icy cold to the touch.
Tip: A warm base melts the frozen canister and will not thicken properly.
5
Churn the frozen yogurt
- Set up your ice cream maker with the frozen canister and paddle.
- With the machine running, pour in the chilled base, stirring it briefly first.
- Churn for 20–25 minutes.
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Ready when: The mixture looks like thick soft-serve and holds a soft peak on the paddle.
Tip: Stop once it is thick. Over-churning can leave the texture grainy.
6
Firm up in the freezer
- Quickly spoon the soft frozen yogurt into a freezer container, pressing it down with a spatula to remove air pockets.
- Press a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap directly on the surface, cover, and freeze for 2 hours.
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Ready when: It is firm enough to scoop, with no soft liquid center.
Tip: Chill the container in the freezer beforehand so the yogurt does not melt on contact.
7
Soften and serve
- If it has been frozen for more than 4 hours, let the container sit on the counter for 5–10 minutes.
- Scoop into bowls and serve right away.
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Ready when: A scoop pulls away smoothly without cracking.
Tip: Dip the scoop in warm water between scoops for clean, round portions.

Good to know

Tips

Make sure the freezer bowl is frozen solid. If you can hear liquid when you shake it, it is not ready.
For a chunky, swirled texture, reserve ½ cup (about 85 g) of finely diced macerated berries and fold them in right after churning.
Use ripe, in-season berries for the best flavor. Out-of-season berries may need an extra teaspoon of honey.
Serve within a week. Homemade frozen yogurt has no stabilizers, so it gets icy as it ages.

Make ahead

"The base can be made and refrigerated up to 24 hours before churning. The finished frozen yogurt can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in the freezer."

Storage & reheating

"Freezer: store in an airtight container with parchment pressed on the surface for up to 1 week for best texture, up to 2 weeks maximum. Not suitable for room temperature or fridge storage. To serve after freezing solid, let it sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes until scoopable."

Substitutions

honey → granulated sugar or maple syrup. Use 100 g (½ cup) sugar, or the same amount of maple syrup as honey. Sugar needs to dissolve fully while macerating.
fresh strawberries → frozen strawberries, thawed. Thaw completely and use all the juices. Flavor will be slightly less bright.
full-fat plain Greek yogurt → full-fat plain regular yogurt, strained. Strain through cheesecloth in the fridge for 3–4 hours to thicken it to a Greek-style consistency.
vodka → omit. The recipe works without it, but the frozen yogurt will freeze a bit harder, so allow extra softening time.